Sex in marriage is blessed by the Church, stated in the ROC

Sexual relations in marriage blessed by the Church, and not only for procreation but as an integral part of conjugal communion, said the head of the Department for external Church relations of the Moscow Patriarchate Metropolitan Hilarion in Saturday’s program «the Church and the world».

«There is a view according to which Christianity supposedly teaches that marriage is necessary only for procreation, that sex is almost something in itself sinful. But is the Orthodox Church this is not taught. The Church says that sex is sinful when it occurs outside of marriage, is condemned fornication, adultery. As for sexual life in marriage, she never Church are not condemned – on the contrary, it is an integral component of spousal communication», – said Metropolitan Hilarion.

And the Patriarch does not avoid conversations on such topics with young people. «Shortly after his election to the Patriarchal throne and answering received from participants of the meeting, he said that sex is one of the components of the fullness of life for a family man and that married is not only for procreation,» – said Metropolitan Hilarion.

He stressed the need for Orthodox believers to observe the fast. «Fast days also suggest, if I may say so, a lean night. Fasting implies not only abstinence from some kinds of food, but also abstinence from marital intercourse. In multi positions, and the night before the communion of the husband and wife refrain from conjugal communion and at all other times it is not only allowed, but blessed by the Church», – concluded the Metropolitan.